Reality Check

I need to get a real job. That was the upshot of meeting with my agent in New York City.

I've done really well as a writer. I am way ahead of the curve. I have a legendary agent, sold my first book to Bloomsbury, and I've completed lots of other manuscripts. I did all of this faster than most, but I still need to get a real job.

The reality is that my first book will not be published until next February and my next books won't be published until well after that. The big money - if it's to be had - won't come for a while.

I don't want to leave my office by the marina, but it looks like I will. I don't want to change the writing routine, but it looks like it's going to happen. I can do it. I just don't want to.

So, I'm working on the resume. I will figure out a way to spin the last couple of years. I will call it "The Sabbatical", which it was. Kind of like the time I took off from college to play pro soccer. I had to get it out of my system - prove to myself that I could do it. Well, I did.

I won't stop writing. I'll just have to do it in my spare time, which is how most do it.

The upside to all of this is that the job will likely take me back overseas - hopefully to Latin America. I will again experience the life and adventures I love, and I will replenish the fodder for new stories and books. The downside is that I will leave the office by the marina and upset the family apple cart...again.

It's been good. It'll be good again.